On behalf of the Pac-12 Conference, Keker Van Nest & Peters attorneys defeated a motion to dismiss its antitrust lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for "poaching fees" imposed by the MWC related to conference realignment.
The lawsuit stems from a 2023 agreement between the two conferences, Oregon State University (OSU), and Washington State University (WSU), which included a $55 million penalty if the Pac-12 added some but not all MWC schools.
After merger efforts failed and MWC moved to enforce the fees, the Pac-12 Conference filed suit, claiming the conference was forced to agree to a penalty under duress when it struggled to schedule football games for its remaining two members, OSU and WSU.
The KVP team includes attorneys Eric MacMichael, Nick Goldberg, Anjali Srinivasan, Paul von Autenried, Kelly Kaufman, and Charlotte Kamai.
The court “determined that the Pac-12 has a plausible antitrust claim with the legal standing required to plead it,” reported the New York Times. “The Pac-12 said it was ‘pleased’ with the ruling and will move forward with the case.”
Read the full New York Times article. (subscription required)